Following the December 15th, 2011 Republican debate in Sioux City, Iowa, Fox News commentator and radio talk show host Sean Hannity interviewed Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) and asked him the question which the media has been pestering him with for the past several months since Paul started winning straw polls and rising in the primary polls: "Will you promise if you don't win this nomination... that you will support the Republican nominee and not run third party?" Paul's response was the same, saying that while he does not deal in absolutes with politicians, he has no intention of running third party and no plans to do so.
With Ron Paul clearly stating that he does not intend to run third party, a crucial question should be asked of Sean Hannity, especially now that the polls show Paul has a very real chance of winning the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries in early January. The question that will now be posed to Mr. Hannity and his friends such as Mr. Mark Levin, is as follows: "If Ron Paul wins the Republican nomination for President, will you pledge to support him and not back a third party candidate who will split the vote and possibly help re-elect President Obama?"
This question deserves a real answer, not a "Ron Paul cannot and will not win the nomination" answer. Remember, the same 'cannot and will not win' statements were made against Harry Truman in 1948 and Ronald Reagan in 1980 and they both went on to win, not only their party's nomination, but also the general election. As a fair warning, if Mr. Hannity and his friends give the "Ron Paul cannot and will not win the nomination" answer, then it will be assumed that they will back a third party candidate if Ron Paul is nominated for President by the Republican Party.
Mr. Hannity has stated repeatedly that Ron Paul's stances on certain issues such as foreign policy 'scare' him and he repeated that feeling of his when he interviewed Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN) after the December 15th Sioux City debate. In addition, Mr. Hannity has a long-standing friendship with businessman and TV personality Donald Trump, who has been a frequent guest on Mr. Hannity's radio and television shows and has even publicly discussed with Mr. Hannity on his radio show about giving Mr. Hannity gifts in the past, such as a collection of dress ties. Trump made an announcement last week that he was reserving his right to run as an independent candidate for president if he did not like the Republican presidential nominee and he already has a very low opinion of Ron Paul as was evidenced by his response to Paul's decision not to attend the debate Trump planned to moderate. Based on these facts it is possible that, if Ron Paul or someone he were to endorse were to win the Republican nomination, Trump would declare his own independent bid for the presidency. If that were to happen, could Mr. Hannity pledge that he would not support Trump's independent bid which could potentially help lead to President Obama's re-election?
Ron Paul's answer to the talk of a third party bid has always been the same since the question was first broached. Indeed, the National Review Online posted an article the day before the Sioux City debate titled 'Cool the Third Party Talk' in which the author, a certain Andrew Stiles, debunked the prospects of a Ron Paul third party candidacy. In the article, Stiles makes a well-reasoned argument, based on how the Republican primaries will be working in 2012 and the way the election laws are structured, that Paul will be a major force at the Republican convention in Tampa at the very least and that he will take any opportunity to advance his ideals into the mainstream thought of the Republican Party. Faced with these facts and the man's own statements, it can safely be said that Ron Paul will not leave the Republican Party and knows that it would be unwise to do so.
In contrast, Donald Trump has stated repeatedly that he would consider an independent bid for the presidency and has made it clear that he has remained out of the Republican Party primary race in order to keep that possibility available. If Ron Paul were to become the nominee, the chances are very strong that Trump would declare his own independent bid and then Mr. Hannity would have to make a decision on whether to support his friend Trump and thereby potentially split the vote or turn away from his friend and support the nominee of his party.
So Mr. Hannity, what is your answer? "If Ron Paul wins the Republican nomination for President, will you pledge to support him and not back a third party candidate who will split the vote and possibly help re-elect President Obama?"
© 2011 New Agora and The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.
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